The company sees Xbox live as the key to growth and hopes revised pricing will boost numbers of users. From next January, Xbox Live users who renew their subscription will be charged on a monthly basis of 680 yen ($5.72) or 4,980 yen for 12 months. New users pay 6,800 yen which includes a one-year fee and necessary equipment.
Xbox live has singed up 500,000 customers since its January launch. Microsoft’s gaming system has struggled in Japan, compared to the rest of the world, where it faces entrenched opposition from Sony Corp. Microsoft claims to have sold one million Xbox units in Asia, including Japan, compared to 2.2 million in Europe and 6.2 million in North America. Sony’s Playstation 2, meanwhile, claims to have shipped 5.12m units worldwide with 1.27 million in Asia since March 2000.
Source: Computerwire
